goddess in the making getting her tiffany

i am having a headache now. it is not often i have one nor can i remember when the last time i had one, but i do know that i hate the one i am having now.
in fact i think i went to sleep with a headache and woke up with one even more intense.
could it be because i slept very late (1a.m.) or too much food and many malls on saturday?

all my classes are cancelled this weekend because of one vip friend- yunli who is back from england with hubby, matt. well, i am sure the kids also benefited from this break because many chinese families are taking the weekend to visit graves in conjunction with chingming, our version of all souls' day. mom visited her parents' graves today when her brother and family came. we will be doing our round next saturday.

ok back to yesterday. yunli and matt stayed at prince hotel, conveniently located within walking distance to pavilion and klcc. i drove down at 9.30a.m. and only guessed my way to the hotel. phew! luckily i managed to get there without getting lost. my instinct and sense of direction worked together to get me there.one interesting sign we saw on our walk to pavilion. how many are there in kl?

our first agenda was to head to pavilion. strolled around a bit and i played tour guide. got myself 100euro at rm448. am just buying them when i see the money changer. cannot buy a lot ah. 4.48 is low.

went to gsc for alice in wonderland in 3d. yunli bought the ticket on friday. this 3d experience was a better one compared to up. you could really see things flying your way. but some background really faded in 3d and you were wondering whether to take off the glasses or not. all the negative reviews i heard from friends were unfounded luckily. the story unfolded just as how i imagined and i think it stayed very close to the books. bravo tim burton. you did not disappoint. to watch in 3d, you have to pay rm5 extra.

after the movie, it was lunch time at 2p.m. my destination: lot 10 hutong food court. that is the only food court i am going to when i am there i guess.

i had the hokkien mee that i wanted to try. it was cooked using charcoal fire. i paid rm9.35 including tax for this plate. the original store is in petaling street if i am not wrong. so my verdict? i expected it to be very very good, it was only good for me. they used very thick dark soya sauce and lots of lard. i feel they were not generous enough with the cabbage and meat.
yunli and matt loved the place and matt called it unique. we also met yunli's friend janice there. she works in ambank in the i.t. dept. nope, she does not know my cousin.

after that, we decided to walk to klcc because they wanted to go to kinokuniya. only matt got a book. i din want to look for any book although i was tempted to buy a few. i still have so many untouched at home!!! damn, when am i going to finish the enchantress of florence by salman rushdie?

tea time...it was ice kacang at little penang cafe. i was very full. it was difficult to finish the bowl and i was the last to finish.

then it was back to the hotel to put down the shopping bags and wait for yunli's uncle to meet us at bukit bintang. janice did not join us for dinner.
yup, dinner was at jalan alor. i think i have only been there twice and it is my second time. it looks quite different already. all the hawker dishes are good. we had beef kueyteow with ginger and garlic, belacan lala, kailan, grilled chicken wings and grilled stingray. my favourite is the sting ray. the chilli sauce on top was delicious.

by the time we left, earth hour had already started...but i dun think anyone in jalan alor care. all the lights were still on. kl tower's were off.

they wanted to look for some dessert drinks, so it was back to lot 10 hutong. haha...not my suggestion, it was their's. see they are also hooked with the food court. and i think they went there for lunch again today.
all ytl properties took part in earth hour campaign. so it was romantic dessert time in the food court. candles were everywhere but the crowd was thin. i did not have anything because i really could not take in anything anymore. i did not want to suffer in my drive home later.

lights on again at 9.30p.m.
i started my journey home at 10.30p.m. phew! what a long day. but it was good meeting yunli and matt again after such a long time. it will be few more years before the next meeting takes place.

yunli got me this book....so i am now going to turn into a goddess by learning all the 1000 ways given lah. there were tips on ironing, what to do in the kitchen, etc. and every page is coloured with illustrations. should be interesting. i'll see if there are any tips worth sharing ah and we all can turn into goddesses together. hahahaha....

last but not least, yunli also helped me buy my first tiffany- a mini bead bracelet with a mini heart shaped lock. the beads and the lock are actually smaller than what you see here. sob sob....but still tiffany kan? the bracelet chain is quite complicated interlinks of many mini chains. even yunli's mom was impressed with the bracelet.

ok, the damage to the pocket? because yunli got it inside the airport terminal, i got 15% off the retail price. it retails for 100 pounds on the website, so now it is 85 pounds. and because the pounds have dropped to rm5, i paid rm420 for the bracelet. i thought i was going to pay rm500 for it. happy happy happy. i went into tiffany klcc to check the price too, it is rm470. the price is also quite reasonable ah.....cheaper than uk's price.

so you know where you can go now to get cheaper tiffany. so more silver from tiffany for me? wait and see lah.....escape- be thrifty.

coming soon movies

i have a celebrity friend ;P
but you really have to open your eyes big to see him. this is a trailer to a local movie which will be released in april. my friend appears at 1:13...pause to see 'her'. hahaha....he was dressed like an auntie in a kopitiam in the scene....the one sitting on the right.
i wanna watch this movie!! local movies are getting better. well, maybe he is just a 'vase' without any dialogue in the movie, but i still think he is a celebrity. hahaha...who knows, this might be his big break.

i am going to watch alice in wonderland with yunli and matt tomorrow at pavilion. i'm not sure if it is going to be in 3d. yunli bought the tickets. i hope we will still have a lot to talk about. scared since it has been ages since we last met. i'm going to have my hokkien mee for lunch at lot 10 food court too. hope it is good. salivating...

101=toaster

when you set your sight on something, and all the stars are aligned, you can get what you want even in a lucky draw. hahahhahahhaa

at 7.30p.m. yesterday i saw the gifts for lucky draw in our meeting. on the stage was small stand fan, yoga mat, iron, kettle, etc. the only thing that caught my eye was the toaster. my rented house here could do with a toaster. not that i am that keen on bread nowadays, but sometimes you never know what you crave.

so i began telling everyone that the toaster was mine and they could set their eyes on other things instead. hahaha....yes, i told all my colleagues who bother listening to my silly ramblings. from the front of the hall to the back.

the lucky draw was finally held after 10p.m. and boy oh boy. the first number to be called: 101....yours truly's number. if that is not luck, i dunno what it is lah.
oh i was jumping with joy.

the meeting ended at 10.30p.m. and when i met my neighbours outside the house, there were happy for me too. they heard that i would be moving to the house next door and that would mean we will be separated by one house in the middle. they jokingly said that they would miss me and we would not be able to chat that often. how adorable. they never chat with my other 2 housemates. they even called them stuck-up. i guess i am not hor. so let's give a toast to my friendly neighbours.

MUAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA......TO BE REVEALED THIS WEEKEND ;p

gifts for a tired me

ni hao from beijing.......wit love


the fridge magnet is from a colleague while the panda is from a 14-year-old. this colleague is very good to me too. i got fried wan ton when her boy came to my house at night and once she made me delish curry noodles.
how nice it is to travel every holiday.

it's a busy week and work and there are meetings after work. i feel so exhausted even during the daytime.
the legs are feeling numb these 2 days. i dunno why. i stood too much during the weekend? i haven't been jogging too. i just dun have time for this activity now.

hope to have a relaxing weekend...but there will be some walking too. a friend is back from england and i will be meeting her this saturday. so most probably will be around klcc or pavilion.
i better rejuvenate myself. but how ah?

gonna turn godzilla at noon

i am not cruel, but sometimes it is hard to forgive and forget especially when i believe that my choice would have made a better result.

yup, those cookies are for me. a very nice and sincere gesture indeed but i will hold on to what i said!!! i am not going to talk to this kid for one week!!!

it is quite difficult to supress my anger when in real time, all the anger has actually kinda faded away. hahaha. but pulling out from the district cross-country and athletics meets is silly for no valid reason at all. and i do put so much hope and expectation on her. seeing one of the kids who is slower but came back with a medal from the meet made me more pissed. i would have been much happier if the one showing the medal to me was the one who baked me those cookies....because i know she would get better result!!!

so many ppl want to have the opportunity. one should never turn it down when it knocks right? after all, it does not come often.

those 5 pieces of cookies will be my lunch today and i am going to chomp them like a gozilla chomps its victim.

the roller-coaster ride of a star-chaser

the days of a star-chaser can indeed be like a roller-coaster ride. there are the ups and the downs. the heart can leap sky high and fall down flat on the ground the next. the body must have hell of a time reacting to all these responses. hence, puffy and dark circles around the eyes, dull skin, breakouts, and messy hair are things which yours truly could not avoid during this ride.

the second night of the concert was a much better experience. first, my seat on the second night was great!!! it was right at the centre and i got the aisle seat again. woohoo!!! i was on row 7 but it still felt closer than the previous day's row 6. photos too turned out better from this angle.

the concert started at 8.15p.m. again and most of the pumped up fans were all at the centre area this time. yes, my area. so the guards were always around us telling everyone to sit down because those at the back could not see. pity those also lah for sitting behind us.

anyway, some photos first.


cute pose huh?

finally managed to get a photo of her in this outfit. love this part where she sang disco-like songs in english. this was of course the sexiest outfit in the whole show.



she sang you raise me up by josh groban to replace a gospel song in cantonese which was in the rundown in hk concert.

mc jin doing the rap.
a new outfit. again the dress looked loose on her. no butt ma. i love all her killer boots.

singing last christmas with han jin, a singaporean artist.

she wore a black spaghetti strap top yesterday in this segment but changed to this one which she wore in hk on the second night. this one was a 'safer' choice as the spaghetti straps kept falling off her shoulder when she danced.
the show on that night was a more energetic one. you could feel that they are really performing their best to execute all the moves. this was what made it good or better than the previous' night. they had already put in more effort and heart into their performance. audience can feel this kinda thing.
oh oh oh...a scuffle broke out here too between a fan and the guard. the fan was sitting on the first row and of course who could resist from standing and pumping the fist to the fast songs? well, of course except the older generation lah.
one lady in the third row stood up and confronted the female fan. but the fan ignored her and continued standing up. a few others were standing too in that same row.
actually, the stage was so high, i don't think the fans dancing in front obstructed the lady's view. the lady's nose was kinda arrogant. maybe she just could not stand some fist pumping in front of her.
then the security guard got into the picture. the guard had to do their job. he tapped the fan's shoulder to tell her to sit down. maybe quite hard. the fan sat for a while then she took her camera and pointed it at the direction of the guard and took the guard's photo. a warning from fan to guard? watch out...i know who you are??
then i think the guard went to the girl and this was when the exciting part came.
the girl got aggresive and held the guard's collars with both hands in a confrontation. woooh! it was drama in a concert.
more guards then came...including those genting executives who made their presence felt. there were almost 10 of them surrounding the girl. then some shoutings, and then they dragged the girl out of the hall. the fan resisted all the way and was seen holding to the railing, kicking and shouting.
but of course the fast numbers and the audio drowned out everything. many fans did not notice this incident too because they were engrossed in the performance. but i am almost certain that even the singers and band members noticed the scuffle down there as the lighting was quite bright at this segment.
the fan was away for quite a long time and she only came in during encore.
lesson learnt? join the fans in a big group if you want to get high and don't get aggresive.

another new outfit for the first encore. see those metal studded boots? what a killer. those spikes on her outfit were bubbles.


encore 2. most fans who went to facebook earlier already knew about this. fans were all esctatic.

and...the curtains fell after the second encore. the concert was longer this time, it ended around 10.45p.m. so i guess there were no complaints from the ticket-paying audience gua.

but wait....my roller-coaster ride had not ended yet.

after all, what is a good concert without some celebration? nah...obviously not for me, but for the crew, dancers, musicians and the star herself.
venue- one of the restaurants at highland hotel.
and the star-chaser me of course waited patiently for her to appear. this was another 'up' for me. i got onto the same escalator and was in front of her separated by her assistant. managed to give her some praises about the concert and when we got off the escalator, i told her to rest well and she replied, 'i will.' ok, that was short but enough to make me happy.


the videographer is already more experienced here. haha...good shot.

we waited at the lobby after she went into the restaurant but she did not come down using the same exit. she must have left using the back door. so it was back home on a clear night. phew! thank you my driver for driving back both nights.

now, this is not the end yet. gosh, you must be wondering, what is it with these star chasers and their days??
well, the next day, early in the morning, before 6a.m., we had already made our way out of the house to the airport. i had less than 3 hours of unsound sleep but a cup of coffee and toasts with dried duck meat kicked start the engine.

overseas stars have to leave the country don't they? well, it is a 'down' ride here. we waited and waited and waited. dancers showed up, musicians came and even her assistants. but the star was nowhere to be found. fail mission this one. i could accept this disappointment because this was what happened last time.

but hey, there was something to make up for this disappointment. i saw someone else. omg- get this- wu zun from the group fahrenheit. check out his myspace. he came in his dark shades and a face mask, but damn! he was tall and i am sure beneath that glasses and mask is one of the most handsome faces! hahahhaa!!!! and he was oh so nice to all his young fans. they were of different races and spoke different languages to him. he just strolled and took his time walking into the departure gate while signing autographs and chatting with them. how lucky the fans were.

my group of star chasers could only wallow in self-pity while having mcdonalds and shared our grievances. but it was fun because we were not alone.

sigh... this officially ends the star chasing period for this visit. we left the airport at around 11a.m. and i headed to the curve. i had an eye-check appointment at vista lasik centre. my eyesight is getting blurry and i already had a feeling that it would be bad news. just waiting to confirm it.

anyway, before the bad news...something caught my eyes and lifted the emotional state to another new level.

i have got myself a pair of dark grey booties from clarks!!!! aahhhh.....heaven!!! do you know how long i have deprived myself from buying a pair of heels?? that 'fast' was really killing me. i really could not stand it anymore!!

so do you think i can resist when i saw this pair from clarks active air range selling for rm238? the leather was sooooo supple and when i put it on, man, i could see myself in so many outfits and rocking it. i must have fast for a long long time.
i dun care if my soles are going to hurt later, the pair of booties is mine!!! but i can't imagine myself walking the malls in them though. i would be killing myself that way. aahh....i love my booties.

now to the final down ride on the roller-coaster track. the eye-check result.
my eye sight has disgressed. i dunno the term you use to describe the eyes but...layman's term lah here. i have powers on both eyes, about 100 each. yes, i definitety have problems reading sign boards and car registration numbers when i am driving. it is my call for the second surgery.

so do i want to wear glasses or go under the machine? i think i choose the latter. it is almost 3 years since i did it and the doctor said he could still lift the flap up to do the corrective surgery. so do i want to do the custom lasik or standard lasik? standard lasik i will lose more eye tissues in the process. tissue loss would be minimised if i do the custom lasik but i will have to pay the difference in the price. that would mean about rm2000 more for each eye.

why oh why? why me?
what a way to end this roller coaster ride huh? i think i came off the ride feeling exhausted and in a slightly blur state now.
i need to clear the head now.

days of a star chaser

my energy is on low. really low.
i am losing appetite as well. and mom's regular friends at the coffee shop all know the reason why.
one said, 'with all the late nights you are spending, of course you have no more appetite for anything,' when i was at the shop for breakfast today.

and the reason? one word- sammi.
it is an energy sapping activity to go star chasing. crazy fans are not content with only star gazing, they want more. they want to see the star up close, touch the star, hold the star, and have a photo for keepsake.

envy and jealousy will be part and parcel of this activity too. when you see others get the chance to get close with the star, others giving better gifts than yours, others being acknowledged by the star, etc. it is definitely not an activity for the faint-hearted and for those who give up easily. it takes a lot of your time, strength, money, physical and emotional energy.

some call it stupid and a waste but others have given me words of admiration. a friend who recently came back from Australia asked about this hobby of mine and said that, 'it is good you have something to occupy your time with.' wow, it was such a praise.

so now without further ado, let me give you a glimpse of what a star chaser does.

the star chasing activity this time started on Thursday in the evening. fellow star-chaser members were late and i only started my journey up to genting highlands at 6p.m. halfway up the hill, a message came on the handphone. not good. message read, 'she has arrived at genting jor.' there goes the first hope of meeting her.
so when we reached the hotel lobby, it was sort of like a reunion with other star chasers we know. saw some of the videos they took of the star getting into the lobby and making her way straight to the lift surrounded by guards. good....she did not stop for photo or autograph. made me feel good.

but then, news came that there were not many star chasers at the airport when she landed and some got autographs and photo op. ARRGHH!!! disappointment hit the head hard. why oh why. the airport was the haunt last time but there were just too many ppl. and this time around, i have changed the base up to the hotel, and it backfired!!! see, we have to be emotionally strong not to break down.

anyway, we decided to continue waiting at the lobby to see her leave for rehearsal. dinner had to wait.
after about 1 hour of wait, we saw the guards on alert, and the van at the entrance. time to get ready.



this is a video of her leaving the lobby of the hotel into the van. a starchaser's first amateur effort at capturing the moments, let's give her 50/100.
there was no stopping or hihi to fans. surrounded by guards, it was straight into the van as you can see. i managed to pass something to the assistant who put the bag into van. so can i tell myself that the star will see the contents of the bag? i have to tell myself that.

that's her on her way to rehearsal. it was cold and wet in genting. the fog was damn thick.
i drove all the way up and all the way down. we waited till she came back from rehearsal about 11+. again...it was straight from the van into the lobby then to the lift. other fans managed to pass her gifts which she accepted. happy for them.

that was the end of day 1. sleep came hard that night and i woke up mid morning with a slight headache and running nose.

day 2- first concert.
no more waiting at the lobby to see her go out to the concert hall. that would mean going up to genting in the afternoon. heard that she left for the concert hall at 4p.m. some friends showed me the video. again...straight to the van but this time there were many more fans waiting for her.
we only went up at around 6p.m. and had dinner at vietnam house. then went to pick up our tickets at the entrance of arena of star.
genting gave a bottle of mineral water for their vip guests. very thoughtful of them.
my seat was on the 6th row from the front. we got better chairs this time, covered and cushioned and more spacious too. comfy.

concert started at 8.15p.m. great...no long wait.
i am in no mood to give a review but it was ok i guess. there were some changes in some parts. fast songs medley were made slower because of the high altitude which would be too taxing on the dancers and the singer. haha... sign of aging? well, i dun think the fans mind. fans this time were quite well-behaved but of course they rose to the occasion when their shouts and screams were needed.

this first costume has been reported many times in the newspapers as lady gaga inspired.

this mini dress really showed her small waist and the lean legs.

the top is kinda loose huh?

this is a new dress seen for the first time. it is very transparent. i wonder if she knows. this woman really needs to eat to fill her butt. she is losing her butt!!!

the dance moves here had been modified. sloooooooooooooowwwweeerrrrrrr.

the planned encore.

she came back after the concert ended when fans all refused to leave. some unruly ones threw empty mineral water bottles onto the stage. malaysians? just had a few more words then it was bye for real.

concert ended at 10.15. two hours sharp. on her facebook page, she said she is going to add another song if there is request from fans who refused to leave after the first encore. is an encore still and encore when it is planned and made known to all?

guests for the night were hanjin and mc jin.
well, i reached home past 1a.m. luckily sleep was better and soon i will be all armoured for my second concert tonight.

watch this space for more photos and videos.

dear qahina...

dear fellow blogger qahina,

i wish i can brag that i had gone jogging again on my own today but no.....
instead, i think i am going to make you feel good that i actually decided to skip it. haha....but with good reasons/excuses depending on how you see it.

i went to pick up the 890 pieces of photos that i sent to be developed at 1p.m. today. gosh, were they heavy.
then i decided to sort my own personal photos first into my photo albums...my personal photos came up to about 160 of them. that was not tedious nor slow. no problem. settle in less than 30 mins.

then it was time to sort out these:

all these that ppl from work have ordered...their keepsake of sports day and rehearsal and training. macam sikit kan???

so there i sat from about 3p.m. while sorting the photos according to the owners, and referring to the computer screen from time to time to check that the numbers were correct, i reminded myself that i would stop everything and go jogging at 6p.m.
but lo and behold, at around 5p.m. the sky turned really dark and strong winds blew. wakakaka....ketawalah dalam hati aku....a good excuse not to go out of the house. who knows if lightning will come next. after all the proton city park is really exposed and there is that big lake of water there.
so i continued doing my photos lah till it was 7 plus when mom told grandma it was dinner time. mind you, i had not got up from the chair at all except to refill my water bottle. gosh....
dinner? ermm....i snacked on a bunch of grapes at around 4p.m. grandma reminded me to get up and do some exercises at 8p.m. i think at around that time too i got up and went to the kitchen searching for food.
dinner- some chicken breast meat...leftover only...so very little. itupun i finished in few mins.
then continued with the piles of photos. impossible task!!!
after the breast meat, i decided to open a packet of twisties that i got few days ago. a sucker for junk food...it is another new flavour- spicy garlic. so must try lah.
i put a spoon into the opening and scooped those pieces into my mouth because i still need my hands to be free to pick up photos. well, i did not finish one whole packet though. just half of it.
and that was dinner. close stomach.

and so....from loose pieces of photos....everything is finally in their rightful place- the envelopes, with names all labelled. and what time did i finish work? 10p.m.
am i tired? you bet. the neck and back feel so stiff.

and this task is not done yet mind you. damn those errors! i have 11 pieces of missing photos and 11 pieces of extra photos with no owners. so i guess somewhere while sorting out the numbers of photos to be printed, someone read the wrong number or someone marked the wrong space. whatever lah. i just have to send 11 more photos to be reprinted.

there goes my plan to watch another episode of greys anatomy.

sleep beckons. i have a mission tomorrow night. opps...i mean tonight- thursday. am pretty anxious about it. but can't tell you what it is yet. it might drive the luck away.

so till then. enjoy your holiday in penang and get yourself into the pool!!! that is the best exercise...not only for the baby.

xoxo....fellow blogger escape.

discipline

discipline. discipline. and i think i am quite all right in that department.
made up my mind yesterday that i was going jogging, and jogging was what i did at around 6p.m. today at proton city park.
but i could not go far. damn! i intended to do 3 rounds at the lake, but i only managed two. the sun was still very high in the sky and there was nary a shade on the track. and those who know the track, you know how it can go uphill and downhill most of the way so the pace was kinda fast. it was grueling and punishing for this amateur. i think 2 rounds equals almost 2km. not too sure though. i hope to do the 3 rounds tomorrow. wonder if i will go alone again.

watched the movie precious. monique totally deserves her oscar for best supporting actress. you dun see monique there in that character. she was really a monstrous abusive mom.

next to my new obsession....well, maybe just for few days. i want to blame ern eik for telling me this. it is another way to spend your hard-earned money on rather unnecessary think. you tell me if it is necessary.
first, check out the pictures below.

the swoosh on the right chest is supposed to be in purple but the colour just does not show on this image.

the word ESCAPE is supposed to be in pink too...and again it does not show at the bottom of the hoodie

i lurve my nike air max 95....i put all the colours there and the word ESCAPE again is on the shoe below the swoosh. that is a total eye-catcher. i bet you won't miss that shoe on the feet. it is really striking...well, maybe some may call it ugly.

so you got what nike id is all about? it is all about customisation and personalisation. you can just choose the colours you want but not the design. the hoodie above is us$110 while the pair of shoes is us$160. they also have tee-shirt but i am not keen. they also cater to the european market but it is more expensive.
go and choose yours at http://nikeid.nike.com

now, whose help am i going to get?? but i dun think i am getting it this year. i dun need a pair of sneakers nor a hoodie now. maybe end of the year or next year. discipline!

out with the old, in with the new

i am talking about that ancient filling in my tooth if you were wandering what it is.
the visit to the dentist was a pleasant one. the dentist said, 'long time no see'. yeah, then i replied, 'i was supposed to come last year and i din.'
i booked myself for scaling and a check initially, but something with one of the teeth told me that i needed a filling too.
i could feel a chip on one of the lower molars. and i was right. the dentist called it a 'defracture' and told me that the piece of filling should be from my secondary years.
so off that piece came and i got a new filling. luckily it was not as painful as i anticipated. maybe because it was not that deep. i got a protective layer for free....whatever chemical that was.
then it continued with scaling. he actually asked me if i wanted to reschedule as he was concerned about me opening my mouth for another 20 mins. it was the least of my concern...i want to get it over and done with in one session.
scaling was more painful especially when it reached those sensitive parts near the gum. mine would be the lower front. it bleeds sometimes when i brush my teeth.
luckily my stomach was not making any noise....was worried that i would go hungry at that time because i only had my breakfast at 11a.m. today and din have any lunch before i go at 3p.m.
now i am hungry...it is almost 5p.m. i need to find something colourless to eat...something that will not stain my teeth, something that is not too hot and not too cold.
i am thinking of an apple but i need to take it out from the fridge first.

and i have told myself that i am going to jog no matter what later in the evening. so i guess that apple will have to wait. the dark clouds are moving nearer and i am keeping my fingers crossed that it won't pour soon.

so the amount spent at the dentist? rm75 for cleaning, rm65 for filling.
total=rm140. one free toothbrush and 2 tubes of small toothpaste courtesy of colgate.

bored? complain about badminton lah

did anyone stay up to watch leechong wei in england open yesterday?
i did...and i felt i have wasted my time staying up.
yes yes yes, i know he won....but he won it in a very ugly fashion.
the 20-year-old japanese was controlling the game from the first serve and i think lcw won because tago made mistakes. tago was the one who made most of the winning shots, not our datuk. what is wrong with this world champion? he is not playing like a no. 1. he was almost losing!

and did you guys see the replay of the last shot which made lcw shout and kneel down clinching his fists? am i the only one who thinks it is an out ball? well, they dun depend on tv replay to call the shot so you can't make a protest there.

i hope to see more of tago. that young man really have some guts, speed, coordination and fighting spirit. he will be playing for japan in their thomas cup finals in malaysia come may i think. i will be rooting for him....if he plays this way.

lcw played like separuh mati only. urrghh...seeing him makes my stomach churn. he is like a tightly wound spring which is all tangled up, unable to find that space to loosen up. no wonder i dun like to watch singles with him playing.

hmhh...all this free time in my hands gives me the freedom to complain. i dunno what to do at home. i have sent the photos to be developed and i will only be able to pick them up on wednesday. 890 pieces of them! tomorrow's the dentist visit- what for? i still dunno....scaling or filling? both are just as scary.
so what am i going to do tonight? 1 or 2 movies?

screen queen

i am a total couch potato today.
after the i finished the sunday papers, it has been the screen that i am facing the whole day.
i did one episode of ugly betty. one episode of greys anatomy and 5 episodes of glee. the only reason why i am stopping now is because i am missing episode 10 of glee.
but soon the eyes will move to another bigger screen.
the all england badminton open is showing now but it is not the match i wanna watch. i am still waiting for lee chong wei to play his single final. i don't even know who the opponent is. i know lin dan was beaten by bao chunlai in the quarter. hah! now if lee chong wei wins, he can say- not that i dun wanna play lindan and win fair and square, it's just that i was not given a chance.
i hope lee wins.

oh, i also spent my time watching the screen selecting the photos i wanna develop. photos from hk, and photos from penang. luckily, there were not that many. so i am done with all the photos. they will be sent to the shop tomorrow and at night i am going to pick them up. tuesday will be photo sorting time. so i still have monday to glue my eyes on the screen. next, i am going to spend with all the movies i have yet to watch.

this is the week where i am going to just be lazy at home. oh, this reminds me, i better go to the dentist. it's been a while since the time i was supposed to go and din. what is it with dental visits? they are just the scariest appointments one can think of.

a full morning

first day of one week break.
it is noon now and i feel FULL. the stomach is full and the brain is full too.
no apple for breakfast today because there just ain't any in the fridge. so it is carb instead- two pieces of toasts with a slice of cheese and a cup of coffee. i am satisfied. biting into the melting cheese is heavenly. one has to reward oneself from time to time.
the brain is also full with information now. breakfast is incomplete without newspaper. so there i was sitting at my regular place at home next to the window where the morning sun throws its warmth and lights. i need the chi to start the day but now it seems the body is already stuffed and it does not feel like moving at all.

this comes in the post. it is the first time esprit is issuing catalogues via mail. just when most companies are trying to save the earth by giving its members choices to subscribe via the web for their catalogues, esprit decides to print this big issue and post it to all their members in malaysia? we do get esprit updates online as well. is their business revenue dropping? one of the striped blazers caught my attention but the retail price is just a bit expensive (rm329.90). so let's wait for the sale shall we? haha....i do love esprit clothes as they are really comfortable and durable. my wardrobe has a lot of esprit and i wear them to work. i dun like their tees though. not unique enuf.

well, i better give myself a kick and start what i am supposed to do- editing photos!
since being appointed the head of photography club, i have been thinking of ways to make money so we can buy more equipment for the cameras or add another camera to the two we have.
selling a piece of photo for rm0.70 ain't getting me any profit at all considering the kind of editing work i have to do with each piece of photo. but seeing the happy faces of ppl going through their photos during sports practices, rehearsals and sports day makes my day. making ppl happy is a more important agenda. a lot of colleagues have been requesting for more candid shots of themselves but unfortunately there just weren't many. well, who would have thought that so many are so keen to get a hand of their own shots? the responses have been good. i guess everyone still wants shots of their memories printed on pieces of 4r paper. i know i do. i have all my photos on cds and in albums. flipping through albums is much more enriching than watching slide shows on the screen.

i love this candid shot....but i bet some kind of editing has been done to it looking at how the 2 characters really stood out in the photo. only the professional can do this and it depends on the equipment used to shoot this i think. i can't do this sort of editing so i just have to rely on good impulse and angles to shoot my photos.

ok...my eyes are going to be glued on the screen for some time still. those eye drops better be ready.

cravings

i just had two pieces of oil-dripping fried chicken from kfc and now my eyes feel heavy.
but the afternoon heat is stopping me from taking a nap. i will just use the time i have to update the blog.

the craving for a piece of fried chicken has been for about one week now. i always have some kind of craving during pms period. women- how troublesome we are and how adorable at the same time. hahaha...are we?

yes, i know the two pieces of fried chicken are high in cholesterol and all things bad for the body, but when the craving has been a week long, why suffer. sometimes, there are things that you crave for only for a few hours or just a day. that you know can be forgotten easily. when it is for one week, go and reward yourself and forget about all the consequences. it makes you happier anyway.

i have been eating very little this week anyway and kinda healthy so this is a way of spoiling the body after the healthy streak. the choice of eating an apple for breakfast has been made into a routine now that i feel 'heavy' if i take something else. it is a good habit really and apple is labelled one of the 10 superfoods. i do feel 'cleaner' in the bowel and nope, i dun feel weak although i only have 1 apple in the morning. i grow up having bread for breakfast and the choice to change bread to apple takes quite some willpower to put into practice. but when you read and know more, you wl know what is good and bad for you. so at the end of the day, i think it is making a better choice for a better you.

don't fret, i haven't been starving myself when i said i had been eating little. it's just that my food caterer is still on her cny break and i will only get my food delivered to my house again next week. so in the meantime, i have been eating dragon fruit for dinner and some nuts. on thursday, dinner was a big bowl of ice-kacang and wafer biscuit (loacker). it's not bad at all. i feel happy when i feel light of course.

plus the frequent jogging sessions in the evening have helped in the detoxification process too. downing a lot of water is very necessary in the absurbly hot weather. i think i take more than 2l a day. thanks to my kaki joggers (well, they run while i jog), i do not have to run alone. i hope they will get to inculcate this healthy habit into their lifestyles for a long time to come.

to another matter now- holiday! i am itching to go for a holiday when i realised that i will be getting two weeks off work in september! there is the one week break, and then they are extending another week to extend the raya hols and to celebrate hari malaysia at the same time! we do really have the most holidays. so where do i want to go? i am thinking of visiting my cousin in new zealand and joining an adventure tour there! but who wanna go with me? glacier walk anybody? bungee jumping too. it is so difficult to find holiday kaki. a colleague has just said 'no'. she is saving for shanghai in nov. so one is out. i also dun really know who else to ask. cousins and siblings in australia??? do they have spring break at that time??? go check your calendar please!!!

if i dun get to go to nz, maybe i will join a tour to south korea. you do need the help of a guide in this country where english is not widely spoken. going to european countries will need too much cash and i am sure i cannot control my urge to shop there too. so going to nz or korea is quite safe on the pocket. so ANYONE????

a costly blunder

WAAAHHHH!!!!!!!! rm500 just flew off the window!!!!
am i getting old or what????

i was e-mailing a friend regarding dad's flight details to melbourne next month for the purpose of buying his travel insurance when i realised that there was a mistake on the ticket!!! instead of 27 march for his coming home date, it was printed 27 april instead!!! AAHHHH!!! horror of all horror! dad only wanted to spend 2 weeks in melbourne and not 6 weeks!!!
so i quickly got into airasia website and went to change the date. sob sob sob! the new date costs me rm500 extra and of course i am pulling that amount from my own wallet. what a costly blunder! but luckily we realised the mistake now and not when date was about to board his flight back from melbourne. sob sob sob!

and i thought that i had tuition this afternoon. i had put out all the 5 seats. and just now, it struck me. all the 5 kids had come on thursday and we even had 3 pizzas and 2 garlic bread! damn! i think i need a break. i had been doing quite a lot of thinking and planning for others. can i empty the recycle bin in the head so that it does not overflow?

painted 2 malls red on a friday

i have officially brought my sis and brother-in-law who came back from australia for 2 weeks to 4 main malls in kl in this cny period. midvalley, one utama, klcc and pavilion. i think i am the best guide to these malls. what other places can you go to when you are in kl? i can think of frim but i think everyone just want to escape the heat and stroll in malls nowadays.

this is the first sight that greeted me when i got downstairs. was supposed to leave for kl at 9a.m. but i only woke up at 9a.m. beanie was waiting patiently at the door for someone to feed him. he was there patiently for about 10 mins without making a noise. how adorable. his tail started wagging as soon as he saw us getting down the stairs.

so i drove aunt, sis and bro in law to pavilion first. we walked there from a parking lot near klcc. it was not a sunny day so it was acceptable to walk.
this was our breakfast from the loaf, mr mahathir's bakery at pavilion. i love their danish here. so crispy and so many layers! but i dun like the price of course.

the highlight of the day trip was the food more than the shopping. no major shopping this time around, it was more of checking out the malls since three of my companions had never been to pavilion.

we went over to lot 10 hutong's food court for lunch. i love this food court so much and so do the others! i regretted not ordering the hokkien noodled fried using coal fire! it smelt soo good when i passed by someone eating that dish. must order that next time!! the wan tan noodles was not good at all, i mean it was edible but there was nothing to shout about. i like the dim sum, the pork balls noodles, tom yam and shaved ice-cream. aunt ordered black sesame flavour. i dun like the mini popiah but the rest said it was good. the dim sum was quite expensive, i think it was at least rm6.50 or rm6 for one tray. i think none of the stalls here are halal so this is not a place for muslims.

we walked back to klcc at about 4p.m. and met cousin en there. it was aunt's birthday so i think she purposely came out to meet us. too bad, we had no opportunity to buy aunt lunch or dinner. we did not even have dinner because we were all still full from lunch. well, we had our lunch at 3p.m.
i finally got to try godiva's shake. we ordered dark chocolate decadence and dark chocolate raspberry. raspberry's better. rm22 per cup. once is enuf lah.
isetan had sigg bottles promotion. they were selling some of them at rm69.90 but of course they are still expensive. i found them really light in weight though. i was kinda surprised because i had similar bottle from kathmandu last time and it was heavier. so am considering getting one next time. hehehe...i have unshamefully asked someone to get it for me for this year's birthday. i like the bottle with keith haring's design. i am buying some art too when i am buying the bottle.

my legs are aching now. i spoke too soon about the relay race not affecting my muscles. gosh, even my abdomen muscles are all numb and stiff now. no sneezing please. it hurts. but it feels good knowing all the muscles are all toned up as well. makes me feel motivated to start sit-ups or do circuit training or run just to make sure that all the muscles remain firm. let's keep up the good work.

cny will end tomorrow if i am not wrong. it is chap goh meh or chinese valentine's day. so if you do not celebrate v's day on 14th this year, you have tomorrow to do so. no more ang pow after tomorrow. but the cookies are still around and all the packet drinks. sis and husband are going back to melbourne on monday. things are getting quiet again.

of winning and losing

it was a hot day, no, it was very hot. however, that was better than the rainy morning we had yesterday. after all, it was the annual sports day so of course everyone prayed for full sunlight and a dry field.

this year's competition was no less exciting and intense than last year's. although i was not the head of the sports house, i felt so involved because the kids just came to me. i spent 2 afternoons making, designing, cutting, pasting, etc the props to be used in the march past inside my cool living room with the kids. well the effort and time spent were worth it- we won! quite a few years in a row.

there were of course tears of frustration and joy. i hate this part! there were calls of unfair results, unsportsmanlike behaviour, injuries, etc. sports people should know that the results of the judges are final and it was not up to us to rectify the results on our whims and fancies. those who learn in the process are the real winners because you would have gained something which cannot be exchanged with a medal or cash.

well, some might said that i could say what i like because i won and my team won (sapu habis all the big piala). i won because my team won the 4x 100m relay. i could not hear the shouts when i was running. i only knew i had to push myself to the maximum and reach the last person who was to receive my baton. the lungs felt like exploding...it had been a long long while since i last had this kind of feeling. man, it felt good. i was happy with my performance and all the praises i got from both male and female adults and kids were the icing on the cake.

i think i have digressed from what i wanted to share earlier. there was this regret of my action on the sports field which happened in district sports meet where i was to take part in the 200m race. it still felt like it had only happened yesterday. i made it to the final but before the race, i had cold feet. i had a feeling i would not win the race and told my coach that i wanted to pull out from the race. the coach could not do nothing already because i had totally given up at that time. so he told me to just get into my lane and start the race but not run the race. get it? i was only to start that few steps and then walked out of the track. that to me was one of the most shameful things i have ever done in my life. i even got the other runners disoriented and they also stopped running thinking that there was a false start. the race was started for the second time and i really did walk out. so i know how it feels to lose because i think my loss is greater than a runner who comes in last in a race. at least the last place runner has tried his/her best and completed the race. so no matter what it is nowadays, i am not going to let anyone repeat my mistake and regret it years later. i have also learnt not to laugh or tease at others with the intention of shaming them because i know how it felt.


on a happier note, i have kids coming to me asking me to teach them how to run. and yesterday, someone told me that she chose to do what i am doing now because she wants to be like me. owww....how touching was that? some ppl felt that i have wasted my talent and not being able to climb higher ladder (i do think so too sometimes....greedy ma) but when i hear ppl saying they are inspired by me, i knew that i have done alright despite my shortcomings. it is the best gift one can ever get.

randomness

• nail polish aint good for the fingers. remember my quest to have my nails polished every week and see how long one bottle of nail varnish will last? well, it is taking a break this week. i have noticed the nails getting dry and brittle at the tip. i dunno how some ppl can have their nails polished everyday. there is still more than half in the bottle of varnish. can it last a year? and keeping the bottle in the refrigerator is indeed better- it is easier to apply and it does not dry.
• relay race- it feels good to be involved again in a race for gold. this time it is 4 x 100m. 2 males and 2 females representative from each house and the mark will be counted to determine the placing. tension you. ours is the last event before tug-of-war. everyone said i am going to win, but it is not a one-person race. so i am just keeping my fingers crossed. the females are more keen and excited.
• work has been quite relaxing these few days. rehearsal, rehearsal and rehearsal. tents are going to be set up, field will be decorated, bunga manggar is being made right in front of me now....it is the annual sports day!
• the work week ends today because tomorrow is not a working day. on friday, going to paint 2 malls red again-klcc and pavilion. can't afford to spend anymore. please tie my hands.
• i love wearing new clothes! ;P

f4f4f4f4f4f4f4f4

lai lai lai......no!!!!! i dun want to go to work!!!!
one utama centre court- new wing.

work starts tomorrow. sigh.
i have two eye bags which are so long and deep that they reach the middle of my nose.
but i dun care. i haven't finished watching boys over flowers- the korean version. well, if you dunno, it is a japanese manga adaptation and the group f4 is made famous in this manga.
i have watched the taiwan version, i have watched the japanese version and now i am soooo into this korean version. i think this one is the best because all the characters are equally developed and the guys are more handsome.
yesterday...err...actually this morning, i only went to bed at 5.30a.m. and i couldn't wait to get up to continue watching. so i jumped out of bed at 9.30a.m. and continued the marathon session. i still have 4 more episodes till i finish...that is 4 more hours to go! no...i am not doing that now. tonight....definitely tonight.

i have packed up all my things and waiting for dinner to be served so i can gobble some and head back to bidor. there is some cleaning to do after abandoning the house for 1 week.

today, the hokkien celebrate their new year too so i bet there will be firecrackers at midnight. well, i won't be complaining because i am watching my series right?

i can get so into this kind of thing....or maybe most of the things i decide to drown myself into? remember twilight saga? sammi?

and damn it, the rain outside is getting heavier! well, i am glad i am on the side of the road where there will be no congestion. ok...dinner time.
happy back to work on monday. i hope it is going to be a good week because it is only 4 days long and thursday is sports day!! untungnya!!!

new year at the malls

today is the 7th day of the first month in the chinese lunar calendar and according to this calendar, it is everyone's birthday. we called it 'ren ri' in mandarin.

someone got a surprise in the sms when i wished him a happy birthday. he thought i had gone crazy. luckily i am still not that ignorant of chinese cultures. so i wish all readers a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. it means everyone now is one year older whether your actual birthday has come or not. that means i am already 33. the double 3. well, the thing is, i dun feel 33 at all. i feel much younger. i hope it is not a case of not wanting to admit that i am getting older.

for the past few days, things have slowed down soo much and the weight has been piling quite a bit i think. going to the malls means eating and shopping right?

i have spent 2 days this week in 2 malls- mid valley and 1 utama on tuesday and friday respectively. next friday, 2 more malls to sapu-suria klcc and pavilion. no, i am not suddenly rich from all the angpows i can still collect. i am just playing the role of a driver and guide to my sister and brother-in-law who has not been home to malaysia for the last 4 years. but ah, you put me in the mall, then you won't see me leaving the mall empty handed. gulp! yesterday i got 3 dresses from one u. i love dresses, especially those A-line ones. they just flatter my pear shape figure and wearing a dress to work is just so convenient. so now i have like 5 new dresses to show at work. hahahaha. and of course sis and broinlaw also got something lah. after all the aussie dollar has appreciated so much against rm. what a bargain.

the deco in the centrecourt in midvalley.

lunch at sushi zanmai. some of the dishes we ordered are missing. the chopsticks flew too fast as soon as the dishes were put on the table and the photo opp was gone in that few seconds.

our dinner at oriental cravings in one u yesterday. i like the hotpot they served....i think it is only available during cny??? this might be the only restaurant in one u that is non-halal and business there is definitely brisk.

oh i watched valentine's day too with aunt. it is a very light and all sugary-coated movie just right for v's day. i like it although i dun have my sweetheart or darling next to me. well, i'm glad that my aunt enjoyed it too. but she admitted that she fell asleep for a while halfway through the movie. haha...not because the movie is boring, but because she had to wake up at 6a.m. that day to send my youngest sis to the airport.

on the same sweetheart note, i think as the year passes, my grandpa is getting more concerned about my single status. sigh. i overheard him talking to grandma today in the kitchen about me being unmarried and my sister being married. he is also concerned about the youngest sister being single and i think he told her to look for someone back in australia. well, there is no shortcut to this kind of thing and i will just disappoint him but remain happy myself. sorry sir, i can't just go out and make you happy and put myself into all sorts of predicaments to bring home a man. the matter of the heart is a complicated one.

happy chinese new year rawr!!!

yo happy chinese new year to all chinese celebrating this festival and i guess to all malaysians who are having a break these few days too.

it has been a slow day...even for the dog. beanie did not bark at all seeing strangers coming into the house. i guess the heat is really opressing till he could not be bothered to get up and move. he only slept the whole day.

we also did not feel like going out of the house. the only time i went out this afternoon was when i had to become driver for yee. but later at 9p.m. i am going out again to friend's house. nothing much i guess and there won't be many ppl as well. the few of us would definitely be at the table playing gin rummy and eating crackers while doing that. there will be more open houses to go to tomorrow when yeeboon comes back from singapore. she never fails to do so every year.

these are what we had yesterday...after collaging all the photos, only did i realise that there are only 2 colours in our food- brown and green. not good enuf for nutritionist i bet. well, the white in the chicken and fish did not come out and the prawn qualifies for orange. everyone did not eat much yesterday because it was freaking hot. everyone could not wait to leave the dinner table actually because of the heat. 3 fans were switched on in the kitchen.

this is us, dressed in all our fineries on the first day of cny....haha..not that we are going to show it to anyone. red and purple seem to be the dominant colours here. well, it is cny, you can't escape the red.

so do you have a good first day of cny? or are you celebrating valentine's day?